Nylons are polyamides that are generally synthesized by the condensation polymerization of a diamine with a dicarboxylic acid. Similarly, Nylons also may be produced by the condensation polymerization of lactams. A ubiquitous nylon is Nylon 6,6, which is produced by reaction of hexamethylenediamine (HMD) and adipic acid. Nylon 6 can be produced by a ring opening polymerization of caprolactam. Therefore, adipic acid, hexamethylenediamine and caprolactam are important intermediates in the production of Nylons (Anton & Baird, Polyamides Fibers, Encyclopedia of Polymer Science and Technology, 2001).
Industrially, adipic acid and caprolactam are produced via air oxidation of cyclohexane. The air oxidation of cyclohexane produces, in a series of steps, a mixture of cyclohexanone (K) and cyclohexanol (A), designated as KA oil. Nitric acid oxidation of KA oil produces adipic acid (Musser, Adipic acid, Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, 2000). Caprolactam is produced from cyclohexanone via its oxime and subsequent acid rearrangement (Fuchs, Kieczka and Moran, Caprolactam, Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, 2000)
Industrially, hexamethylenediamine (HMD) is produced by hydrocyanation of C6 building block to adiponitrile, followed by hydrogenation to HIVID (Herzog and Smiley, Hexamethylenediamine, Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, 2012).
Given a reliance on petrochemical feedstocks; biotechnology offers an alternative approach via biocatalysis. Biocatalysis is the use of biological catalysts, such as enzymes, to perform biochemical transformations of organic compounds.
Both bioderived feedstocks and petrochemical feedstocks are viable starting materials for the biocatalysis processes.